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Age of Empires IV

About the franchise

Age of Empires is the critically acclaimed, award winning Real Time Strategy (RTS) game with a legacy spanning more than 20 years and nearly a dozen titles in the franchise. Known for its strategic gameplay founded on historical civilizations, the series spans a period of time from the Stone Age to early modern time, and even includes an episode exploring the legendary creatures and lore from mythology.

About the Franchise

Set in the European theatre of WWII, the Company of Heroes series is a compelling and historically authentic presentation of this epic conflict’s often violent and gritty warfare.

Praised for highly tactical combat, an innovative territory-control resource system and varied single and multiplayer campaign design, Company of Heroes is consistently regarded as the one of the greatest real time strategy franchises of all time.

Company of Heroes has won multiple awards and sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

Warhammer® 40,000® SPACE MARINE®

Games in the Franchise

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

About the Franchise

In Warhammer® 40,000® Space Marine®, Captain Titus and a squad of Ultramarine veterans must defend the Imperial Forge World Graia from an invading horde of Orks and the Forces of Chaos until Imperial liberation fleet arrives. This third person shooter showcases Relic’s unique interpretation of the Warhammer 40,000 universe where players take the game’s signature arsenal of weaponry to deliver bone crushing violence and dismemberment to the enemies of mankind.

The Studio

We are an award-winning developer of genre-defining real-time strategy games like Homeworld, Dawn of War, Company of Heroes and many more. Throughout our storied 17-year history, delivering rich, thoughtful strategy games has always been our defining quality.

In essence, we envision the type of games that we would love to play, and then we create them.

Our studio is different from most others. We value ideas and innovation so every game we create is a true reflection of our entire teams’ capabilities. We believe in the autonomous, entrepreneurial spirit of an indie developer – only with the extensive resources of a large publisher.

We are owned by SEGA, a world leader in interactive entertainment. They provide us with the autonomy and creative control needed to preserve the integrity of the gaming experience, from the concept stage right through to final development. Being part of the SEGA family also gives us access to resources and talent that will help us build on our legacy of innovation.

Meet the Team

Justin Dowdeswell

General Manager

With over 15 years of game development experience, Justin oversees our teams and studio operations. His vision is to harness Relic’s world-class team to build great games and, in partnership with SEGA, restore Relic’s place in the video games industry. Justin has held leadership positions at several Vancouver studios, and believes in the untapped potential and unique proposition that our talent pool and city represent.

Greg Wilson

Executive Producer

With a deep commitment to teamwork and collaboration, Greg leads the team that is shaping the future business direction and vision of the award-winning Company of Heroes franchise. Greg began his career in programming and, over the ensuing 12 years, transitioned to production all while creating compelling mobile, PC RTS, free-to-play & post-development gaming experiences.

Alex Price

Director, Brands

Alex adds a wealth of global marketing and brand development to Relic’s leadership team with an MBA and more than 12 years industry experience. His responsibilities include shaping the future strategic direction of Relic’s products and as well as the overall Relic brand. Alex has managed the brands for some of gaming’s biggest franchises including The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Age of Conan, Tomb Raider and Just Cause.

Curtis Terry

Director, Finance

A founding member of Relic, Curtis has seen the studio grow from a small group of game developers to become an unquestioned industry leader. In his role, he is responsible for financial oversight, planning and operations support for the studio. Curtis recently rejoined Relic after holding senior finance roles at gaming and technology companies where he provided strategic planning, oversaw financial operations, and supported corporate acquisitions.

Jillian Walker

Director, Talent

Jillian is honing Relic’s culture by driving organizational change, providing leadership guidance and improving employee experience. Previously, Jillian oversaw HR teams in the high tech industry, where she worked directly with the senior management team to grow global operations and develop a team of committed high performers.

Whistler

Multi-cultural City

VANCOUVER IN NUMBERS

The population of greater Vancouver is 2.1million and it is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada.

3 ski mountains are located on the outskirts of Vancouver and world-renowned Whistler resort is only 90 minutes away.

A mecca for the creative industry, Vancouver is home to many of British Columbia’s 152 game studios and their combined 5,900 full-time employees.

Stanley Park is one of the largest parks in North America covering 1001 acres making it 10% larger than New York’s Central Park.

History

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1997

Relic Entertainment is created.

In a small office above a bar in Vancouver’s funky, newly resurgent Yaletown district, burgeoning game developers Alex Garden and Luke Moloney establish a gaming studio called Relic. Their vision for the studio was simple: become the world's best RTS studio. A vision that that still permeates Relic to this day.

From the outset, Relic sought to balance the priorities of people and products while creating the best entertainment software available. A philosophy that clearly resonates given that five of the 16 employees who were part of Relic’s inception, remain with the company to this day.

Their initial project was an as-yet-unnamed video game. Relic soon secured a publishing agreement with Sierra Online to develop Homeworld for the PC platform.

1999

Homeworld launches across the world to critical acclaim.

Homeworld is released and is recognized as an instant classic. Aptly set in outer space, as it was a true pioneer in PC gaming. Not only was it the world’s first complete 3D RTS, but it also introduced concepts never before seen in RTS gaming—such as an epic overarching narrative, stunning graphics and sound design that utilized a specially created sound engine. Also among its firsts was the concept of a ‘persistent fleet’—which carried players’ remaining ships and resources into subsequent missions rather starting each new mission with a new set.

Homeworld’s legacy can’t be overstated. It received widespread critical acclaim winning over 100 awards globally including numerous "Game of the Year" awards from several North American gaming publications.

More importantly, it firmly established Relic as an innovator in the world of RTS gaming, and ultimately was the starting point for our ascendancy as a world-class studio.

2003

Impossible Creatures released in partnership with Microsoft.

Impossible Creatures released in partnership with Microsoft. Originally titled Sigma: The Adventures of Rex Chance, it represented yet another first for Relic and the RTS genre – unfettered creativity.

A highly personal gaming experience, all armies used in gameplay are created by the player by combining animals and their attributes into powerful monsters. In fact, more than 40,000 custom army units were able to be created from the game’s 50 base creatures. The game also marked a major foray into modding with Impossible Creatures shipping with a powerful yet easy to use set of tools that gave users the freedom to build custom islands and even import their own wild animals that can be used in creature combinations.

2003 also saw Relic deliver the much-anticipated Homeworld 2 to critical acclaim. An evolutionary progression from the original game, Homeworld 2 continued to demonstrate our prowess in storytelling, benchmark graphics and polished gameplay.

Homeworld 2 also marked the end of Relic’s partnership with Sierra Entertainment.

2004

Dawn of War is released and becomes the ultimate realization of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe.

With the release of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, Relic enters a new era and the beginning of our longstanding relationship with Games Workshop. Praised for innovations in resource management and squad-based interface, we continued to challenge the norms for what RTS game is and what it could be.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War also spawned three well received expansions - Winter Assault, Dark Crusade, Soulstorm which introduced new gameplay designs including the meta map – a feature that is now a mainstay component in all Relic games.

To this day, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is still recognized as one of the best RTS games and the ultimate realization of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. This fan favorite franchise has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide.

2004 is also the year in which THQ acquired Relic, giving us access to the resources and publishing benefits of a major publisher.

2006

Company of Heroes released, considered by many to be our signature game.

Considered by many to be our signature game, Company of Heroes debuts featuring bold innovations such as squad mechanics with realistic, humanlike behaviour. One of the highest rated RTS games of all time, it was given the “best RTS score ever” by PC Gamer magazine.

Company of Heroes has won multiple awards from prominent gaming magazines and sold over 4 million copies worldwide. Two standalone expansions—Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor—have since been released.

Aside from its widespread acclaim and commercial success, the release of Company of Heroes was also notable for being our first game to be built on the Essence Engine – our first major proprietary technology, purpose-built to meet the unique requirements of RTS games. Its stunning breadth of capabilities allowed Relic to fully align its game design and vision. Essence featured next generation graphical effects, High Dynamic Range (HDR), dynamic lighting and shadows, advanced shader effects and normal mapping. Essence is currently in its third version as is the backbone of entire development process.

This year also saw Relic release its first-ever console game, The Outfit, for the Xbox 360.

2009

Dawn of War II is released marking the next chapter in this acclaimed RTS series.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is released marking the next chapter in this acclaimed RTS series. As a sequel, it took the premise of the original while incorporating the ground breaking gameplay features introduced in Company of Heroes.

Built using the updated Essence Engine 2.0, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II continued to push the genre forward with a focus on fast-action RTS gameplay, a deep RPG progression structure, and enhanced character customization. It also saw the debut of Last Stand – an extremely popular three-player arcade-style horde survival mode.

Two expansions have been subsequently released: Chaos Rising and Retribution, the later featured the first multiple-race single player campaign in the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II series.

2010

Company of Heroes Online is released.

The launch of Company of Heroes Online represents our first foray into Massive Multiplayer Online Real-Time Strategy (MMORTS) gaming. Initially designed for the Asian market in 2008, Company of Heroes Online was one of the first free-to-play games deployed in the Western market. Based on our highly-rated WWII franchise, the game reimagined the Company of Heroes experience with the command tree which provided an RPG style progression.

As a game, Company of Heroes Online was ahead of its time and was ultimately discontinued by publisher THQ; however it played a critical role in Relic’s progression as a studio. It set the stage and cemented our commitment to the Games-as-a-Service model whereby we provide sustained and continued post-launch content and support.

2011

Space Marine released. The third game to take place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine was also an important milestone for Relic. Not only did it illustrate our deep understanding of the Warhammer 40,000 IP, it showcased our versatility in game development. We expanded beyond the traditional squad-based battles seen in Dawn of War series, to create a whole new Warhammer 40,000 experience that was focused completely on the brutality and intimacy of individual combat.

With the launch of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Relic also made its first foray into developing a true multiplatform third-person shooter / melee combat game. The game was a departure for Games Workshop while marking the first time that the Warhammer 40,000 universe was available via console – opening their IP to a whole new audience.

2013

SEGA acquires Relic - marking a bold new chapter in their history.

Company of Heroes 2, the long-awaited sequel to the most widely acclaimed game in Relic’s history, makes its historic return. The game, along with the standalone expansions of Western Front Armies and Ardennes Assault, expands the scope and scale of the Company of Heroes franchise while showcasing our continued growth as a developer.

The game brings forth a greater diversity of armies, a deeper narrative and interpretation of the European theatre of WWII and, most importantly, a complex campaign design based around the meta map and persistent armies. An unqualified success, Company of Heroes 2 has received dozens of ‘Best of’ awards and continues to outperform its predecessor.

2013 was also the year in which SEGA, looking to bolster their PC game development capabilities, acquired Relic - marking a bold new chapter in the studio’s storied history.

1997

Relic Entertainment is created.

1997

1999

Homeworld launches across the world to critical acclaim.

1999

2003

Impossible Creatures released in partnership with Microsoft.

2003

2004

Dawn of War is released and becomes the ultimate realization of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe.

2004

2006

Company of Heroes released, considered by many to be our signature game.

2006

2009

Dawn of War II is released marking the next chapter in this acclaimed RTS series.

2009

2010

Company of Heroes Online is released.

2010

2011

Space Marine released. The third game to take place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

2011

2013

SEGA acquires Relic - marking a bold new chapter in their history.

2013

Careers

Want to create ridiculously fun games? We do, too!

To do this, we focus on the belief that anything is possible when you put a team of smart and passionate people into a room. Our culture has always emphasized ownership, creative freedom and teamwork. That’s because the best games ever created were always the result of a group of dedicated people who didn’t shy away from doing things that have never been done before. On top of that, we know that the next big game idea can come from anyone in the room – whether you’re a student, seasoned professional or 10-year industry veteran.

As a studio, our role is to create a workplace where people are energized and empowered to not only do their best work but to continually surpass their best. We’ll push you out of your comfort zone to become the best version of you by giving you the ownership and creative freedom to solve our most challenging problems.

If you want to bring your career to the next level, Relic might be the place for you. Check out our job openings below.